Musings while on vacation break

Few more days to recharge the batteries then I’ll jump back in on Wednesday. Been a good week to catch up on some things, make some calls and prepare for what I expect to be the return of the NFL soon.

HS Football is around the corner and the new July edition of VYPE HS Magazine will hit stores next week. The massive preview edition will be a good one. Malatesta and I along with the entire crew involved have been working on it since April.

What are your thoughts on Yao’s retirement? I wasn’t shocked at all but just thought it wouldn’t happen until August from what I had been told. Yao’s American agent still won’t confirm it which is odd. It’s out and Yao is holding a newser on July 20.

I look back at Yao’s career and am impressed by what he could do on the floor at times. He was one of the best, if not the best, for a short period but injuries on his big frame simply caught up to him. It’s a lot of wear and tear for a guy that’s been playing serious ball since he was a kid. When he joined the NBA back in 2002 there was talk of potential damaged goods even back then but the Rockets did their homework and still felt it was worth it.

It was a good decision by the Rockets but Yao’s career, on the floor, just didn’t live up to the hype. His career was cut short so we’ll never know really how dominate he would of been over the long run.

I saw Yao as a quiet leader that put up good, not great, numbers. He wasn’t a guy that would take over a games like Kobe and Lebron do most nights. Yao just got the job done and frankly did it pretty darn well.

Was he a Hall of Fame material? That’s a tough question. On the floor I don’t think so but what he did for the NBA globally is hard to argue. He’s brought it to a high level in the Far East like nobody else could do.

It’s the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame and some in there already probably don’t deserve it. If you look at Yao’s entire resume on and off the floor he may be deserving of HOF entry. As a player I need someone who plays longer and is dominant to be considered. If that’s the criteria then I believe Yao just falls short. If the total package is considered then he should be in.

What’s your take? vote now on www.click2houston.com/sports and tell us how you feel.

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The Astros will finish the first half with 60+ losses and continue to pace towards 110 losses this season. They won’t set a record but it’s embarrassing to what this club perform every night. The talent isn’t great but there’s several in the lineup ML quality that need to produce. Carlos is stinking it up , Bourn has shown quality along with All-Star bound Hunter Pence.

Why is this team so bad? bullpen is horrible, J.A. Happ has regressed big-time and there are plenty of other holes and inexperience but 60+ losses isn’t acceptable.

Many of you email, twitter and facebook me with questions about changes. I think Brad Mills is a great guy and knows the game. I hear that he’s a great manager but that with little talent he hasn’t been given a fair shot. That is probably right but in this day of baseball that sometimes doesn’t matter when the record is what it is.

Throw in that Jim Crane is about to take over any time now and I find it hard that he would not clean out for the sake of just starting from scratch. I hope I’m wrong because I like Mills. But if I’m Crane and his group, spending what they spent to buy the club, from a simple PR standpoint bringing back anybody from a club this bad wouldn’t make sense.

A lot of good managers have lost their jobs simply because of a record and not their managerial talent or potential.

Stay tuned to see what happens after this season is over

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